How to Cash In On Video Slot Paylines and Ways to Win

Video slots have come a long way from the days of simply lining up three matching symbols such as the familiar sevens, bars or cherries. 

Today, there are plenty of different ways to land a win, from traditional paylines to new ways of creating thousands of winning combinations. 

Then there are the features that can shake things up even further. We look at how these different ways of winning work and what they mean for players trying to land a jackpot win at their favourite online casino. 

What Are Paylines and Why Are They Used? 

A payline is simply a line across the reels that determines where matching symbols need to land to create a winning combination. 

On a traditional slot, this might be a straight line running across the middle of the reels, but modern video slots can offer much more variety. They can run horizontally, vertically, diagonally or in different patterns such as zigzags (V- or W-shaped), depending on the game. 

So, basically, the payline mechanic determines which symbols can form a winning combination.

Different Ways to Win

Not every video slot uses traditional paylines. Developers include a variety of bonus features and mechanics to determine how a spin pays out. These are commonly referred to as “ways to win” and have nothing to do with player strategies; instead, it speaks of the mechanism used to determine when a slot spin wins or loses.

Pay on Consecutive Reels:

The most common ways in which wins are triggered, outside of the traditional paylines, are to have players collect matching symbols or symbol sets on consecutive reels. This requires there to be a paying symbol on the first reel, and additional paying symbols anywhere on the adjacent reels. Other than there being no empty reel between symbols, these ways to win often include a minimum count, such as 5 or more symbols, before a win can be triggered.

Pays Anywhere:

Pays Anywhere games take this a step further, allowing matching symbols to win wherever they land, as long as the symbols meet the game's winning conditions. In most cases, these win conditions will either be a collection of predetermined symbols (e.g. collecting K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8 to make a card hand)  or a minimum count of a particular symbol (e.g. collect 8 or more of the same symbol anywhere on the reels).

Megaways to Win:

Designed by Big Time Gaming (BTG) and licensed to a variety of casino software developers, the Megaways mechanic initially allowed just about any slot game to offer players up to 117,649 ways to win. As game design has evolved, this payline potential has grown to more than 200,000 in some games.

How Ways to Win and Bonus Features Work Together

How a slot determines a win is only the beginning. Some games also have features that can change what happens when certain symbols appear or when there is a winning combination. 

These features can lead to extra wins, increase a win’s value or give players another chance to create a paying combination. Here are some of the features that boost your gameplay:

1. Cascading Reels: With cascading reels, winning symbols disappear after a win. The symbols above them then drop down to fill the space, with new symbols appearing at the top. If those new symbols form another winning combination, the process continues. One spin can therefore produce a series of wins rather than a single winning line.
2. Expanding Symbols: Expanding symbols do exactly as their name suggests. When this feature is triggered, a symbol can expand to fill more than one position on a reel. This can create further winning combinations that wouldn’t have been possible with the symbol in its starting position.
3. Walking Wilds: A walking wild is a wild symbol that moves from one position to another. Ordinary wilds can substitute for other symbols to help complete winning combos, so a walking wild can give players several chances to benefit from the same feature before it disappears or stops moving.
4. Win Multipliers: Multipliers increase the value of a winning combination by a set amount. For example, a 2x multiplier doubles the value of a qualifying win, while a 5x multiplier increases the value fivefold. Multipliers can either land on the reels or build up during a run of wins, depending on the slot game you’re playing.
5. Wild Symbols: Wilds are another common feature in video slots. They can substitute for one or more symbols when making up a winning combination. There is, however, some variation in the rules between games, and some wilds may have additional abilities, such as the walking or expanding ones previously mentioned. 

These features, when taken together, can change how winning combinations play out and, ultimately, how much a winning spin pays out. 

Importantly, you should check the game’s paytable because the exact outcome of each feature can vary across the spectrum of slots on offer.

Taking You Over the Winning Line

In conclusion, understanding paylines and ways to win can make it easier to see what is actually taking place when you spin. The important thing is to know how the slot you’ve chosen pays, what features it uses, and what you’re getting for your real money deposits before you start playing. 

That way, you can make a wise and cost-effective choice that suits the way you play, adds to the entertainment value and crucially, takes your profits to the absolute max. 

Now that you are armed with handy insights into the factors that influence slot machine wins, it's time to put that knowledge to good use. Head over to our top online casino recommendation, claim a deposit bonus or free spins and get spinning!